I can honestly say I felt far less safe in many, many places in the world than I did when I lived in the US (NYC) or when I visit there. Maybe because I've been to some dodgy places but as much as the US gun culture is insane in my eyes, it's nowhere near comparable for me to some other places I've been.

I really do. I lived in Asia for a while, and traveled around the continent, and at no time did I feel as unsafe as I do when I'm in the U.S. Europe is the same for me.

Maybe easy access to the constant news coverage of gun violence in the U.S. is partly to blame. If I knew what happens in other countries, I would feel just as uneasy there.

I really do. I lived in Asia for a while, and traveled around the continent, and at no time did I feel as unsafe as I do when I'm in the U.S. Europe is the same for me.

Maybe easy access to the constant news coverage of gun violence in the U.S. is partly to blame. If I knew what happens in other countries, I would feel just as uneasy there.

Yeah, I'd have to say that I felt considerably less safe in South Africa, Angola and Zimbabwe, as well as certain areas of a few other African countries. Frankly there are also a number of sketchy parts of Paris where I felt less safe than I did in Harlem.

I live in a city that used to be the murder Capitol of America. Crime has dropped precipitously, going from 400 murders a year in 1993 to under 100 in 2012. Never seen a gun. I've had some friends who've been mugged or assaulted, but no guns.

That said, there's a (usually non-fatal) shooting in my general neighborhood about once a month. The victim is almost always a young black male from a different part of town engaged in some sort of criminal activity.

As a tourist, your chances of being a victim of gun violence is much less than being hit by a car.

Guns exacerbate problems already in existence in the US (crime, poverty), and they do tend to take ordinary disputes (domestic issues) and turn them into murder simply because the mere presence of a gun in a situation turns a small problem into a bigger one. Yes, there are the occasional mass shootings, which are ghastly, but there are 310m people down here.

That said, it should serve as a wake up call that guns aren't freedom. They kill freedom. And we have a big image problem.

I love to travel, but I have to say the United States is the only country that I go to where I modify my behaviour, put my head down, and try to just go about my business without getting noticed. You just never know who has anger management issues and a gun. You want to cut me off on the highway? Sure, go ahead, I'll just smile at you.

I did the same when I visited. I agree that it's probably due to media coverage... but I felt much safer walking the streets of Thailand alone at 2am than the States.

I know right! Stupid old fuck shouldn't have investigated strange noises and strange people on HIS OWN PROPERTY.

Also considering his front door is a giant glass window, I imagine they could've broken in very easily.

Investigate? What is there to investigate? You can see silhouettes, any intelligent person, especially someone who's apparently trained doesn't just open the door and say can I help you? Yeah, of course they can break the glass but you have a gun aimed at them, you have the element of surprise. You open the door, and they happened to be armed, you're dead.

You're in law enforcement, correct? Please tell me you wouldn't be opening the door unless you planned on shooting first.

Yes he could have taken more steps to prevent the shooting, MAYBE. Again, they could've just barged in anyway if he hadn't gone to the door. However, I'm glad him and his wife are OK and I'm not too sad that there is one less low-life in the world because of him.

On a serious note, personally I would have waited inside and if they came through into the house they would have gotten a lead-sandwich with extra toppings as soon as they stepped foot inside. No way am I gonna hide and cower inside my house like a scarred rabbit and wait for 911 if someone breaks inside. However, once you go outside and engage people the self defense part becomes a little blurred.